New Common Context Program Presents ‘Trouble the Water’ Documentary Today

The English Department will show the 2008 documentary “Trouble the Water” today, Wednesday, Sept. 22, as the first Common Context event of the year.

New for the 2010-2011 academic year, the program is centered around a specific context that has strong contemporary resonance. Common Context has potential to promote interdisciplinary learning and conversation around campus from a variety of cultural, historical and political perspectives.

The theme of this year’s program is “water,” a resource for daily living that has been used as a symbol in literature for centuries and quickly is becoming the epicenter of global politics.

“Trouble the Water” is a 2008 Academy Award nominee for Best Documentary Feature. Weaving an insider’s view of Hurricane Katrina with a mix of cinéma vérité and in-your-face filmmaking, “Trouble the Water” is a tale of self-described street hustlers who become heroes – two people who survive the storm and then seize a chance for a new beginning.

“Trouble the Water” will be shown from 7 to 9:30 p.m. in Room 126, John R. Roach Center for the Liberal Arts.